1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of transaction processing. The present invention can relate to the field of palmtop computers and transaction processing using a palmtop computer.
2. Related Art
As the components required to build a computer system have reduced in size, new categories of computer systems have emerged. One of the new categories of computer systems is the “palmtop” computer system. A palmtop computer system is a computer that is small enough to be held in the hand of a user and can be “palm-sized.” Most palmtop computer systems are used to implement various Personal Information Management (PIM) applications such as an address book, a daily organizer and electronic notepads, to name a few.
The latest generation of palmtop computers includes an internal RF transceiver that allows a user to carry out many types of online transactions from almost anywhere. Many online transactions involve access to information or services. For these types of transactions, users are typically required to pay access fees. However, to prevent fraud, and to assure that only paying users are accessing fee-based services, authentication and authorization of users is required. That is, the request must be authenticated to make sure that it originated from a particular user and the access must be authorized. That is, the particular user must be entitled to use that particular service at the time of the requested access to the service.
Authentication and authorization of palmtop computer users is typically accomplished as follows. Upon payment of the required fee, an identification number associated with a particular palmtop computer is entered into one or more database. Each time that a user requests access to information, the palmtop computer is queried to determine the identification number of the palmtop computer from which the request originated. The database containing the requested information then compares the identification number with authorized identification numbers to determine whether the request is coming from an authorized palmtop computer. If the request is coming from an authorized palmtop computer, the requested information is obtained and is sent from the database to the palmtop computer.
These types of prior art systems require multiple transmissions between the database containing the desired information and the requesting palmtop computer. This consumes valuable power and system resources of the palmtop computer, slowing response time. Also, the use of multiple transmissions, database searches, and comparisons of received data to data from the database further slow response time and consume valuable processing resources of each server that provides a service each time that a request for services is received. In addition, constant updating of authorization numbers is required on all systems that provide services. Moreover, because the identification number of the device is used for authentication, users cannot access services using computing devices other than the particular device that was used when the service was initially ordered. This is particularly disadvantageous to those users that have multiple palmtop computers because they must register each palmtop computer for each desired service.
Therefore, it would be useful to provide a way to authenticate and authorize usage of transaction services that will allow for quick access to the desired service and that would not consume excessive power and system resources of a palmtop computer. Also, a way to authenticate and authorize usage of transaction services is needed that will not require constant updating of authorization numbers, and that will not consume valuable processing resources at each system that provides services. In addition, a way to authenticate and authorize usage of transaction services is needed that allows for access from multiple palmtop computers and that allows for access from other computing devices.